Carriage return mechanism for accounting machines



'May 2, 19.44 l w. A. ANDERSON C 2,348,048*

CARRIAGE'RETURN MECHANISM FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Original Filed Sept. 25, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 wA/.Tm AANof/QJOM May 2, 1944.

w. A. ANDERSON CARRIAGE RETURN MECHANISM FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 original Filed sept. 25, 195e 9)... ,i W nl M n uw N NUE @ W w nl@ WA LTE/a ,4. A/vofRso/v.

Patented MayV 2, 1944 CARRIAGE RETURN MECHANISM FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Walter A. Anderson, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, New York, N. Y., a. corporation oi Delaware Original application September 25, 1936, Serial No. 102,517. Divided and thisapplication November 22, 1940, Serial No. 366,531

2 claims.

This invention relates to accounting machines, and more particularly to the means for returning the traveling paper carriages, commonly employed on such machines.

This case is a division of my application Serial I No. 102,517, led September 25, 1936, now Patent No. 2,274,575, issued February 24, 1942.

One of the objects of this invention is to return the paper carriage to a position farther to the right than the position to which it is normally returned, upon the depression of a special return key on the keyboard. l

With this and incidental objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, the essential elements of which are set forth in appended claims, and a preferred form of embodiment of which is hereinafter described with reference to the drawings which accompany and form part of the speciiication.

In said drawings:

-Figure 1 is a. perspective view of the machine,

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of the keyboard,

Figure 3 is a front left perspective of the con- Figure 4 is a left rear bottom perspective showing details ofl certain of the parts shown in Figure 3,

Figures 5, 6 and 7 show details of certain parts shown in Figure 3, and

Figure 8 is a. front elevation of the carriage return rack and its cushioning mechanism.

by a carriage returning mechanism to be de scribed. 'I'he carriage supports' a` control plate 'i5 carrying magazines 14. the forward ends of which (see lFigure 3) strike a tabulating escapement lever |23 to arrest movement of the caniage in its various columnar positions while the carriage is moving from right to left during the working stroke. When the carriage reaches a predetermined position at the end of its travel to the leit, the returning mechanism becomes efnections for' returning the carriage by the full fective automatically to,re|:urn the carriage to ythe right.. This mechanism will now be described.

Referring to Figure 3, a shaft 91 -is rotated in the direction of the arrow by an electric motor (not shown). A-sleeve 98 lis fitted in a reduced portion |0| of shaft 9i and is slidable thereon vertically. A pin |02 extending through shaft 91 projects into a slot cut in sleeve 98 to insure rotation of the sleeve with the shaft. One or more teeth |03 are provided on the upper end of sleeve 98 to act as one part of a clutch. A pinion |04. is journaled on a furtherv reduced portion |05 of shaft 91 and engages rack teeth U06 on a' bar '|01 (see also Figure 4) rigidly secured to the traveling carriage. Teeth |08 on the bottom ofthe hub of pinion |04 lie in position to be engaged with teeth |03 when the latter are raised into the horizontal plane thereof so that pinion |00 may bedriven with shaft 91 and sleeve 98 to return the carriage toits right hand position. This mechanism is substantially the same as disclosed patent.

The means for raising sleeve 98 so that teeth |03 and |08 may engage to return the carriage includes an engaging block .i il secured on a bar H2 (see also Figure 4) carried under bar |01. A three-arm bell crank `||3 is journaled on a in the above mentioned stud H4 extending from the machine frame. An

arm ||5-on the bell crank lies normally in the path of block III. A blade i I6 extending from another arm of the bell crank lies 'within a groove in sleeve 98. The third arm ||1 of the bell crank cooperates with a spring pressed detent ||8. When the carriage reaches the end of its leftward movement, block rocks bell crank ||3 counter-clockwise by contact with arm 5, and thereby engages the clutch. The rotation of. shaft 9i and 'sleeve 98 then returns .the carriage to the right.

A block |2| secured to bar |42 has a ilange |22 lying in the path of arm ||5. As the vcarriage moves to the right, flange |22 strikes arm ||5 and thereby returns bell crank ||3 to the position shown in Figure 3. clutch and allows the carriage spring motor to draw the carriage an increment to the left until the forward end of one of the magazines 14 (Figure 3) strikes the tabulating escapement lever |23. Detent I8 is effective to retain bell crank ||3 ineither of its moved positions.

Means is also provided to return the carriage either from an intermediate position or its left hand position to a position farther to the right This disengages the.

than the position to which it is normally returned. This movement will be termed a full return, and this position the fully returned position. 'I'he means for moving the carriage to its fully returned position includes a full return key |24 (Figure`3) secured to a shaft |25. An

arm |26 secured to the left end of shaft |23 secured in an arm' |23 connections, depression of the full return key- |24 allows spring |32 to push'link |33 and bell crank ||3 to the rear, the latter sliding on its pivot stud H4. When bell 'crank ||3 reaches its rear position, detent H8, resting normally on a surface |35 (Figure 6) ofarm Ill', drops to a surface |38, holding bell crank ||3 in its rear position.

An arm |31 extending downwardly from key |24 oscillates a lever |38 to move a link |4| forward to release the machine for operation when the full return key is depressed. This mechanism operates the same way as disclosed by depression of key 3|9 in the above mentioned patent.

When bell crank ||3 is in its rear position, it lies in the pathcf a spring. pressed detent |42 on a block |43 secured to bar ||2, and still lies in the path of block If the full return key is depressed with the carriagerin a position where block |43 is to the right (Figure 3) of bell crank ||3, tabulation of the carriage at the end of the ensuing cycle resulting from depression of the full return key causes detent |42 to oscillate bell crank ||3 to engage the clutch. The rearward movement of bell crank ||3 carries its arm out of the path of flange |22 and into the path of the out out or slotted portion at the rear thereof, the parts being in the position illustrated in- Figure 4. Therefore, the carriage will return to the right until a flange |44 on another block |45 secured to bar ||2 strikes arm lli to disengage the clutch. This brings the carriage to its fully returned position.

If the full return key is depressed when the carriage is in a. positionwhere the block |42 is i lto the left (Figure 3) of bell crank ||3, the carriage will' not be returned immediately but will continue its working stroke until block operates bell crank ||3 to initiate the return movement.' As before, the cut out portion of block |2| passes over arm ||5 and allows flange |44 to disengage the clutch.

Depression of the full return-key, as explained above, causes detent ||3 to fall on surface |38 .of arm ||1. This position of the parts is illustrated in Figure '1. Bell crank ||3 is thereby held in its rear position until one of the engaging blocks or |43 moves bell crank ||3 counter-clockwise. Detent ||8 then rests on a surface |46 (Figure 6). When' the bell crank is thereafter rocked clockwise to its initial position by flange |44, detent ||3 is restored to surface |35. The bell crank ||3 is now free to return to its forward position by the tension of a spring |41 (Figure 3).A

70 othe/r range.

A more detailed explanation of this mechanism. together with the manner in which key $24 is returned to its raised position, is disclosed in connection with key 9|9 in the above mentioned patent. 'f

To relieve the, lshock caused by the weight of the carriagewhen blocksl or |43 strike arm H5, a cushion is provided between these blocks and the carriage. As explained labove,

theseblocks are secured to a bar ||2 carried under the bar |01. Bar ||2 is slidably supported inV two mountings |48 (Figure 8), only one of which is shown, and is tensioned to the left byA a spring |52 connected to bar |01 and bar ||2.

Leftward movement of bar 'H2 is limited by a forwardly extending projection |53 on the extreme right end of bar ||2 contacting a post |64 extending downwardly from bar |01. When the carriage tabulates to the left, and block or 2g |43 strikes arm IIE, the carriage continues a short distance to the left,` stretching spring |52 and thereby relieving the shock.-

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form of embodiment herein disclosed for it is susceptible of embodiment in various forms all coming within thescope of the claims which follow'. y

What is claimed is:

l. In a machine of the class described, a traveling paper carriage, a carriage returnmechanism, means on the carriage to initiate operation of the carriage return mechanism, additional means on the carriage to terminate operation of the carriage return mechanism, said initiating and terminating means defining the ends of two separate ranges of travel for the carriage with one end of each range overlapping the other, the

terminating means defining the end of one of said ranges being slotted and having a portion normally in line with a part of the return mechanism, and means adapted to be manually set to move said part into the path of the slot-in said last mentioned terminating means to allow the return mechanism to move the carriage beyxlid the confines of one range of travel into the o er.

ing paper carriage, a carriage return mechanism, means on the carriage to initiate operation -of the carriage return mechanism. additional means on the carriage to terminate operation of 55 the carriage return mechanism, said initiating Q0 the normal range, a part of the return mechanism normally lying in the path of movement of the terminating means of each range, the terminating means of the normal range having a slot therein, and means adapted to be manually 55 set to move said part of the return mechanism into the. path of the slot in the 'terminating means to allow the return mechanism to move the carriage out of the normal range into the WALTER A. ANDERSON.

2. In a machine of the class described. a travel-y 

